Dick Jauron's first two moves as the Lions' interim coach was a surprise. First, Jauron closed practice to the Detroit media. That's probably not a good thing to do for an organization that has been losing and is looking to regain some credibility. The bigger surprise was that he decided to start Jeff Garcia instead of Joey Harrington. Matt Millen fired Steve Mariucci because he wanted to develop young players. Garcia obviously isn't young. Again, it shows the direction of the Lions doesn't make much sense. Mariucci felt Garcia gave the Lions the best chance to win, but he was fired before he got Garcia back in the starting lineup full-time. Gone is Mariucci. Ted Tollner is no longer calling plays; he's coaching tight ends. Jauron goes with Garcia.

Ironing out the details: Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson wore a Steelers "Terrible Towel'' as a bib Wednesday and made his weekly guarantee. He guaranteed he won't be stopped Sunday by the Steelers. You can see where he is going with his touchdown celebration this week. Johnson mention the word "Iron'' along with "Steel'' for the Steel City. If he gets a touchdown on Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, you can probably expect him to take the football and iron a Terrible Towel along the sidelines or in the end zone. That won't go well with the Steelers' home crowd. Wearing the Terrible Towel bib, Johnson said, "I was eating lunch and I just didn't want to get my shirt dirty.'' He called the Terrible Towel a crumb-getter.

NFL puts calls to rest: NFL supervisor of officials Mike Pereria clarified the two touchdown calls in the Giants-Seahawks game on the NFL Network on Wednesday. Pereira said the Jeremy Shockey touchdown should have been ruled an incompletion on the field because it wasn't clear he had both feet on the ground before safety Marquand Manuel knocked the ball out of his hands. No replay showed enough visual evidence to overturn the call, so referee Larry Nemmers was off the hook on that one. Also, Pereira said the Amani Toomer touchdown was the proper call. Both feet were in before he stepped out of the back of the end zone.

Fitzpatrick in driver's seat: Expect the Rams to start rookie Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback Sunday against the Redskins. Jamie Martin didn't practice Wednesday and is questionable because of a concussion. Fitzpatrick was a star in the way he led the Rams to a come-from-behind victory over the Texans last Sunday. The Rams haven't made any announcement about the starting quarterback yet, but Fitzpatrick handled the first-team offense Wednesday.

Jags' Taylor probable: Jack Del Rio must be concerned about Fred Taylor's sore ankle. After letting him play on the ankle a couple weeks ago and having him as doubtful all week, Del Rio said he will decide by Friday whether Taylor will play. He listed Taylor as probable. Taylor practiced Wednesday. It appears he's ready to play. This won't be a game-time decision, though. If Taylor is healthy by Friday, he will play Sunday.

Walls to attract interest: Now that Lenny Walls was released by the Raiders after failing his physical because of a groin injury, expect him to clear waivers Thursday and get calls for visits from teams next week. Several teams are interested in 6-foot-4 Walls, but only the Raiders put in a waiver claim for the remainder of his $1.43 million contract. Once he clears waivers, Walls will be available at the NFL minimum of $455,000, meaning that if he passes a team's physical, he could be available for about $100,000 to complete the season.

Steelers to start rookie tackle: The Steelers found out that left tackle Marvel Smith won't be able to play Sunday's game against the Bengals because of two ankle injuries. That's a setback because the Steelers have to start a rookie, Trai Essex. They will have the rest of their starters back. Ben Roethlisberger handled practice Wednesday. He sprained his thumb, but he also has a sore knee and a sore ankle. He will start even though he's not 100 percent.

Law flagged too much: Herman Edwards has been pleased with the play of cornerback Ty Law, who has five interceptions and hasn't allowed a touchdown. Law is a big topic this week because the Jets are playing his former team, the Patriots. Law's problem has been penalties. He has 10, and seven of those penalties have led to touchdown drives. Edwards knows Law is aggressive with his hands, which is going to get penalty calls. Edwards noted the Jets are the second-least penalized team in the league.